WHEN SHIPPING YOUR EQUIPMENT TO ME FROM WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, YOU MAY USE THE U. S. POSTAL SERVICES PRIORITY MAIL, U.P.S., FED-EX, OR AIRBORNE.

WHEN SHIPPING YOUR EQUIPMENT TO ME FROM OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES, PLEASE TRY TO USE YOUR COUNTRIES POSTAL SERVICE, BECAUSE U.P.S., FEDEX, AND OTHER SIMILAR AIR FREIGHT COMPANIES CHARGE CUSTOMS AND BROKERS FEES. REGARDLESS OF WHICH SERVICE YOU USE, IF YOU DECLARE THE PACKAGE USING A STATEMENT SUCH AS: "BROKEN CAMERA EQUIPMENT, BEING SENT FOR REPAIR," YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO AVOID ANY CUSTOMS FEES.

WHEN I SHIP THE EQUIPMENT BACK TO YOU, I WILL STATE: "EQUIPMENT LISTED IS BEING RETURNED TO ORIGINAL OWNER AFTER REPAIR OR INSPECTION WORK HAS BEEN PERFORMED. VALUE LISTED ON FORM IS FOR REPLACEMENT ONLY, IN CASE OF DAMAGE OR THEFT."

FOLLOW THE SAME PACKING GUIDELINES AS LISTED BELOW, IN THE "PACKAGING" SECTION OF THIS SITE.

YOU WILL WANT TO INSURE S.L.R.s AND RANGEFINDERS FOR BETWEEN $100.00 AND $400.00 PER CAMERA, AND KONIs FOR AT LEAST $300.00 APIECE. REMEMBER TO BASE THE INSURED VALUE ON WHAT A MINT CONDITION (WORKING) CAMERA WOULD COST, SHOULD YOU NEED TO REPLACE THE ONES YOU ARE SENDING. FOR THE SMALL COST OF INSURANCE, IT IS WELL WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT IN THE EVENT SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THEM IN SHIPPING (i.e.: THEY GET DAMAGED OR LOST).

WHEN PACKAGING YOUR EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING, TRY TO KEEP A MINIMUM OF AT LEAST 4 INCHES OF PADDING BETWEEN THE SIDES OF THE BOX, AND YOUR ITEM (ON ALL 6 SIDES). IF YOU ARE RE-USING AN OLD OR WORN BOX, IT IS WISE TO DOUBLE BOX THE ITEM FOR ADDED STRENGTH AND PROTECTION.

IN THE EVENT THAT YOU WOULD FIND YOURSELF DEALING WITH A DAMAGE CLAIM, THEY (THE SHIPPING SERVICES) WILL USE MOST ANY EXCUSE TO DENY RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. I'VE SEEN THEM DENY CLAIMS DUE TO: "OLD BOX," "INSUFFICIENT PACKING," "NO DOUBLE BOX," AND SO ON. U.P.S. IS ESPECIALLY KNOWN FOR DENYING CLAIMS DUE TO "INSUFFICIENT PACKAGING." SO, AS WITH INSURANCE, MORE IS BETTER. AND AN OUNCE OF TIME AND PREVENTION IS WELL WORTH THE EFFORT.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT OUT OF THE THOUSANDS OF BOXES THAT I RECEIVE PER YEAR, I USUALLY ONLY SEE 1, 2, OR MAYBE 3 CLAIMS. SO THE ODDS OF YOU HAVING A PROBLEM ARE MINIMAL. STILL, FOR WHAT LITTLE EXTRA TIME AND EFFORT IT TAKES, IT IS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY, BY PACKING IT CORRECTLY, AND SHIPPING IT WITH SUFFICIENT INSURANCE COVERAGE.

IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT BUBBLE WRAP SURROUNDED BY STYROFOAM PEANUTS/POPCORN OFFER THE MOST PROTECTION TO THE CAMERA ITEMS SHIPPED TO ME. AS MENTIONED EARLIER, BE SURE TO ALLOW AT LEAST 4 INCHES OF FOAM PIECES BETWEEN THE SIDES (SIX SIDES INCLUDING TOP AND BOTTOM) OF THE BOX AND THE BUBBLE WRAPPED ITEM NESTLED IN THE CENTER.

SHIPPING MATERIALS THAT ARE FUN TO HEAR ABOUT, BUT NOT GOOD TO USE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: SHREDDED, OR CRUMPLED NEWSPAPER DOESN'T DO THE JOB, NOR DO SOME OF THE OTHER CREATIVE IDEAS THAT I HAVE RECEIVED ITEMS SHIPPED IN, SUCH AS OLD CLOTHING, WADDED PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS, TUPPERWARE PLASTIC CONTAINERS, AND EVEN REAL (MEANING - EDIBLE) POPPING CORN (LUCKILY IT WAS THE AIR POPPED KIND, AND NOT THE BUTTERY STYLE - YIKES! I'M AFRAID THIS PERSON TOOK MY ADVISE LITERALLY, AND DID NOT UNDERSTAND THAT I MEANT THE FOAM STUFF WHEN I SUGGESTED TO SHIP THE CAMERA IN POPCORN OR PEANUTS....AND I DOUBT WHETHER REAL PEANUTS WOULD HAVE WORKED ANY BETTER THAN THE REAL (EDIBLE) POPCORN). I HAVE EVEN HAD PEOPLE SEND THEIR EQUIPMENT IN BUBBLE PADDED MAILING ENVELOPES, AND PERSONAL CHECKING ACCOUNT BOXES THAT THEIR CHECKS CAME IN. AND THEY SEND THESE THINGS WITH NO ADDITIONAL PADDING! THIS IS A BIG NO - NO! YOU MIGHT AS WELL WRITE "I'M FRAGILE! PLEASE DROP-KICK ME" ON THE PACKAGE. BUT THE WORST PART OF THESE EXAMPLES IS THAT NONE OF THE EQUIPMENT WOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY THE SHIPPING SERVICES HAD THEY NOT MADE IT TO MY DOOR. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE EQUIPMENT OWNERS LOSS DUE TO "INSUFFICIENT PACKAGING."

PLEASE: ALWAYS INCLUDE A NOTE OR BRIEF LETTER IN THE BOX WITH YOUR EQUIPMENT. IT SHOULD STATE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, E-MAIL ADDRESS, AND A SHORT EXPLANATION OF WHY YOU HAVE SHIPPED ME THE ITEMS. FOR EXAMPLE DO YOU WANT AN ESTIMATE ON HAVING IT REPAIRED, ON SELLING IT TO ME, OR IS IT A GIFT?

I GET A LARGE VOLUME OF PHONE CALLS AND E-MAILS ABOUT A VARIETY OF CAMERA ISSUES. WHILE I ENJOY TALKING WITH ALL OF MY CUSTOMERS, IT MAKES IT HARD TO TRY TO MATCH A CONVERSATION OR E-MAIL FROM DAYS, OR WEEKS BEFORE, WITH A PARTICULAR BOX, NAME, OR CAMERA ITEM THAT HASN'T BEEN MARKED WITH A NOTE. ALSO, SUCH A NOTE HELPS TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS FOR YOU, THE CUSTOMER, BECAUSE I HAVE EASY ACCESS TO YOUR NUMBER, AND CAN CALL YOU MUCH MORE QUICKLY THAN IF I HAD TO TAKE TIME TO DIG THROUGH MY FILES SEARCHING FOR YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION.

OTHER INFORMATION THAT IS USEFUL, BUT NOT NECESSARY, IN THE NOTE MAY INCLUDE: WHAT YOU ARE ENCLOSING, THE SERIAL NUMBER, DETAILS SUCH AS IF WE DISCUSSED IT BEING A "RUSHED" JOB, OR NEEDED BY A CERTAIN DATE, AND IF POSSIBLE, EVEN SOME SAMPLE NEGATIVES OR PRINTS THAT DEMONSTRATE THE PROBLEM YOU ARE EXPERIENCING.

PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE A NOTE STATING SOMETHING LIKE: GREG, HERE IS MY CAMERA, AS PER OUR PHONE CALL ABOUT A MONTH AGO. THANKS, PETE. (WITH NO PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS, E-MAIL, OR FURTHER CONTACT INFORMATION). IF WE'VE DONE BUSINESS EVERY MONTH FOR THE PAST YEAR, OR YOU ARE MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, THIS MIGHT BE ADEQUATE, BUT IF YOU ARE A NEW CUSTOMER, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO PLAY DETECTIVE, AND IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME, SO PLEASE BE PATIENT.

FOR THOSE CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING PUBLISHED, PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE MANUSCRIPTS IN YOUR NOTES. I CAN BE OF NO SERVICE IN THAT REGARD, AND USUALLY DON'T NEED THAT MUCH INFORMATION TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR CAMERA. JUST THE FACTS, PLEASE...ALONG WITH NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE, AND E-MAIL. WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT LATER - WHEN I CALL YOU WITH THE ESTIMATE.

I PREFER TO SHIP BY U.P.S. IN THE LOWER 48 STATES, AND BY U.S. POST TO AK, HI, U.S. TERRITORIES, AND CANADA. REGARDING OVERSEAS PACKAGES I USUALLY HAVE THE BEST LUCK WITH THE U.S. POSTAL'S GLOBAL EXPRESS SERVICE.

WITHIN THE STATES, THE AVERAGE U.P.S. FEE FOR A BOX CONTAINING 1 CAMERA AND 1 LENS IS $14.50, WHICH INCLUDES INSURANCE, OR A $7.50 MINIMUM FEE FOR PACKAGES OF 1 POUND OR LESS.

POSTAL RATES ARE ALMOST ALWAYS HIGHER THAN U.P.S.'s ON PACKAGES OF 3 POUNDS OR MORE.

I USUALLY CHARGE A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THE ACTUAL COST OF SHIPPING FEES IN ORDER TO COVER THE COST OF MY OTHER PACKAGING SUPPLIES SUCH AS BOX, TAPE, PACKING MATERIAL, AND LABEL EXPENSES. I ALWAYS USE NEW BOXES FOR SHIPPING TO HELP INSURE THE PROTECTION OF THE CUSTOMERS EQUIPMENT.

MY WARRANTY POLICY COVERS ALMOST ALL OF THE ITEMS I SELL. ON ITEMS THAT ARE NOT COVERED BY A FULL WARRANTY, I WILL STATE THE STATUS OF THE PIECE - FOR EXAMPLE IT MAY HAVE NO WARRANTY, OR IT MAY HAVE A REDUCED WARRANTY.

THE FULL WARRANTY OFFERED ON MOST ITEMS INCLUDES 6 MONTHS GUARANTEE FROM DATE OF SALE OR REPAIR, AND IT COVERS RETURN SHIPPING TO THE CUSTOMER.

THE WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER LOSS OF INCOME, LOSS OF PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES, OR ANY OTHER MONETARY LOSS. THE WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER: ABUSE, MOISTURE/WATER DAMAGE, IMPACT, SAND, FUNGUS, BATTERY OR FLASH DAMAGE, TAMPERING, OR NATURAL DISASTER DAMAGES.

I ALLOW THE CUSTOMER 3 DAYS TO INSPECT AN ITEM AFTER RECEIVING IT. IF THE CUSTOMER IS NOT HAPPY WITH THE ITEM, THEY MUST CONTACT ME WITHIN 3 DAYS TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR RETURN OR REPLACEMENT OF THE ITEM. IF ARRANGEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN MADE WITHIN 3 DAYS, I WILL CONSIDER THE SALE FINAL.

I ACCEPT VISA, MASTER CARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, AND DISCOVER CARDS ON ORDERS OF $50.00 OR MORE. FOR ORDERS TOTALING LESS THAN $50.00 I ACCEPT MONEY ORDERS, AND BUSINESS OR PERSONAL CHECKS. WHILE ITEMS PAID BY MONEY ORDER WILL BE SHIPPED THE SAME, OR NEXT DAY, PLEASE NOTE THAT CHECKS WILL DELAY YOUR SHIPMENT. ALLOW AT LEAST 10 EXTRA BUSINESS DAYS FOR CHECKS TO CLEAR. I ALSO ACCEPT PAY PAL PAYMENTS FOR ANY AMOUNT, WHICH MAY OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF PAYMENT FOR SMALLER ORDERS (IF THE 10 BUSINESS DAY WAIT FOR A CHECK TO CLEAR IS TOO LONG).